Bentley’s Powered by iTwin Program enhanced by CupixWorks
The one-stop digital construction solution enables
every stage in the built-world lifecycle
San Jose, CA (April 12) — Cupix, a global spatial digital twin platform that provides visualization and analytics for owners and builders across the entire built-world lifecycle, announced today the addition of its leading product, CupixWorks, to Bentley Systems’ powered by iTwin program.
CupixWorks is a state-of-the-art 3D digital twin platform that enables decision-making and collaboration through all stages of a building’s life cycle. Project Managers, General Contractors, Architects, and Owners can remotely view, track, and manage on-site progress via 3D spatial contexts and life-like 3D navigation.
By leveraging the Bentley iTwin Platform, CupixWorks can synchronize and visualize 3D, 360° capture data – along with BIM models plus customized data – and use georeferencing to place the capture in the site’s physical location.
“We are excited to add CupixWorks to Bentley’s powered by iTwin program,” said Simon Bae, CEO at Cupix. “The iTwin Platform’s visualization and synchronization capabilities help CupixWorks to deliver life-like 3D navigation that feels like you’re on site. This improves collaboration for stakeholders–wherever they are–based on what’s actually happening at the site.”
“We are very pleased to have Cupix add their CupixWorks solution to the powered by iTwin program,” said Adam Klatzkin, Vice President, iTwin Platform, at Bentley Systems. “In doing so, the company joins a growing ecosystem of developers building powerful digital twin solutions on the iTwin Platform. CupixWorks is a great example of how 3D reality capture data and BIM can be synchronized for virtual site navigation and progress tracking of complex construction projects.”
The addition marks another step in Cupix’s efforts to democratize 3D digital twin adoption across the built-world industry. Last year, Cupix announced the release of their CupixWorks X 3D Digital Twin Platform, which is powered by the Gamma Engine 3rd generation AI engine. The platform launch included enhancements to spatial contexts, progress tracking and analytics, and image fidelity in 360° virtual walkthroughs.
BillEase, ChatGenie announce partnership to empower
online MSMEs with BNPL
(MANILA, Philippines) 14 April 2023 — Top-rated consumer finance app, BillEase, and the country’s only in-app commerce platform, ChatGenie have embarked on a partnership to empower micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSME).
Founded in 2020, e-commerce and retail company ChatGenie leveraged its expertise by providing solutions to sudden changes in consumer behavior and pandemic protocols. Today, the company offers an end-to-end approach that allows thousands of businesses to set up shop on platforms like Facebook Messenger, Viber, and GCash, without having any coding experience or separate app downloads. ChatGenie’s fast-growing multichannel In-App Commerce platform lets customers shop via direct message and provides integrated online payment and automated delivery services to millions of customers online without having to leave the app’s messaging thread.
Launched in 2017, BillEase is a versatile finance app that provides various financial services such as personal loans, e-wallet top-ups, prepaid load, gaming credits, bills payment, and a unique buy now, pay later (BNPL) service. This innovative feature allows customers to avail of installment plans even without a debit or credit card, making BillEase the go-to app for financial services.
The partnership will bring a new level of convenience to both consumers and merchants. Retailers will now be able to offer shoppers three cardless installment options at checkout, including Pay Later in 10 or 20 days, Pay in 4 installments for small-to-medium ticket purchases, and Pay Monthly over three, six, nine, or 12 months for big purchases with interest rates between 0% or 3.49 percent — the cheapest rate in the country.
Ragde Falcis, ChatGenie Chief Executive Officer, said, “We are excited to partner with BillEase to provide our merchants with a broader payment solution that will help them grow their businesses. ChatGenie is committed to providing our retailers with opportunities by maximizing the world’s biggest apps; this collaboration is a testament to that commitment.”
Georg Steiger, CEO and Co-Founder of BillEase, added, “This partnership is a significant step towards achieving our mission to provide financial services that are accessible and convenient for both retailers and consumers. By offering our BNPL service through ChatGenie’s innovative platform, we are providing a frictionless payment option that aligns with this shift toward digital transactions.”
Through BNPL service, underserved consumers can now enjoy a more flexible payment option, while merchants can increase their sales by offering a wider range of payment methods. Research and Market reported that BNPL payments in the Philippines are expected to grow by 22.5% on an annual basis to reach USD 1.9 billion in 2023.
Globe offers 2X rewards as incentives
Globe is offering incentives to Globe customers who register their SIMs with just a week left before the April 26 deadline, and all customers who have registered earlier. Through the 2x Rewards Campaign, Prepaid subscribers with P90 and above promo/load transactions and TM customers with P50 and above transactions will get twice the Rewards when they register via the GlobeOne app.
Globe Rewards is the company’s way of granting special treats to its subscribers for their loyal use of Globe or TM products and services. Customers can earn points from Prepaid reloads, monthly Postpaid usage, Globe At Home broadband plans, and Prepaid WiFi. These can be exchanged for data promos and digital vouchers or used as payment at partner stores or donations to their preferred charitable institutions.
The 2X Rewards promo aims to encourage new and existing Globe and TM prepaid subscribers to comply with Republic Act No. 11934 or the SIM Registration Act, which aims to curb fraud and other forms of cybercrime by establishing a registry of SIM users.
“We urge our subscribers to take advantage of the 2X Rewards promo and register their SIMs before the April 26 deadline to avoid inconvenience. We recognize the significance of the SIM Registration Act in preventing scams and other forms of online criminal activity, and we are committed to helping our customers comply. Let’s work together to make our online community safer and more secure,” said Jerome Patalud, head of Globe Rewards.
SIMs may be registered for free anytime and anywhere via https://new.globe.com.ph/simreg and the GlobeOne app. Failure to do so within the specified period will lead to SIM deactivation.
Globe has logged over 31 million SIM registrations as of April 17 out of its 86.7 million subscriber base.
PLDT, Smart encourage customer vigilance to secure smart devices at home
PLDT and its wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) warn consumers that hackers are also targeting smart devices in their homes to disrupt their lives or steal their information.
“Smart devices are connected to a home network. If your home network is weak, these devices can be taken over by hackers. Imagine, someone suddenly turning on the speakers and blasting inappropriate songs while you are sleeping, or someone using your security camera to spy on you,” warned Angel Redoble, FVP and Chief Information Security Officer at PLDT and Smart.
With the Internet of Things unlocking possibilities to integrate different smart devices into a centralized hub, it has made it more convenient for homeowners to customize the settings of each gadget to adapt to their daily activities and habits. These hubs are often accessible over the internet.
PLDT and Smart’s Cyber Security Operations Group has a few suggestions to help homeowners enjoy their smart devices safely.
Smart devices connect to your home network via a router. So, secure your router first. Immediately change the default name and password. Make sure this password is different from your other accounts.
Next, fortify your Home Wi-Fi network. During setup, key in a unique password using small and big letters, numbers, and special characters. Remember, your router and Wi-Fi network should have two separate passwords.
Change your devices’ default password as well. It’s best to assign different passwords for each of your smart gadgets.
Regularly update your gadgets’ software to the latest version to make them more secure.
And to add another layer of protection, turn on Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for your accounts.
You can also consider downloading a “password manager” to help you keep track of your credentials on different devices and platforms. There are password managers available for different operating systems.
An IBM study bared that 95% of cybersecurity breaches are caused by human error. To counter this, PLDT and Smart advocate a culture of cybersecurity. The efforts of PLDT and Smart to share CyberSmart tips on keeping customers safe online are fundamental to the PLDT Group’s much broader program to elevate the quality of customer experience by protecting them from threats and cyber-attacks.
Sprout Solutions Secures $10.7M in Series B Funding Round
Led by Cercano
MANILA, Philippines, 14 April 2023 — Sprout Solutions, the Philippines’ most trusted HR technology platform, has secured $10.7 Million in Series B funding from seven prominent global venture capital firms. The round was led by Cercano Management, with participation from SoftBank Ventures Asia, AFG Partners, GSR Ventures, Integra Partners, ACA Investments, and Mynavi Corporation.
The successful Series B round brings the total investment in Sprout to date to $18.3 Million. This also marks the first investment by Cercano, SoftBank Ventures Asia, GSR Ventures, ACA Investments, and Mynavi Corporation in a Philippines-based company.
“Securing this funding is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team and our commitment to providing best-in-class HR and business solutions to companies in the Philippines,” said Patrick Gentry, CEO and co—founder of Sprout. “We are excited to work with our new investors to accelerate our growth and further expand our product offerings.”
Already the leading homegrown HR tech company in the Philippines, Sprout offers HR and Payroll applications and integrated solutions that streamline recruitment, employee engagement, and performance management processes. With over 1,000 corporate clients and 180,000 active users, the company is now in a unique position to become the most relevant B2B SaaS provider in the country.
“HR SaaS is mission-critical in the Philippines and the rest of Southeast Asia, where businesses are emerging and scaling very rapidly but local HR and payroll requirements remain highly complex. Sprout is a clear category leader in this space with their emphasis on technology, a comprehensive suite of solutions, and proven product-market fit. We see immense potential in the solutions they are building and are excited to join them on this journey,” said Tommy Teo, Managing Director and Head of Southeast Asia at Cercano Management.
“We are glad to continue to support Patrick and the team at Sprout in their mission to build the leading SaaS company in the Philippines,” added Christiaan Kaptein, Managing Partner at Integra Partners.
From Tomohiro Fujita, CIO at ACA Investments, “We believe that Sprout’s quality services will play a vital role in the growth of Philippine companies. ACA is very confident to start investing in the Philippines with Sprout as we believe Sprout can be a leading success story as a native venture company.”
Sprout’s strong financial performance since its inception in 2015, along with its successful series A funding round in 2019, has paved the way for this new funding opportunity. In September 2022, Sprout also acquired Linnia, an AI and process automation platform. The acquisition strengthened Sprout’s HR ecosystem by enabling key workflow automation that simplifies people’s tasks across client organizations. Sprout is anticipated to cross $10 Million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) in Q2 2023.
According to Harris Yang, Vice President of SoftBank Ventures Asia, “The Philippines has a highly complex labor law where employee record keeping, government compliance of payroll reporting, and employee time-keeping are major pain points. Through its localized digital HRIS, payroll, and time-keeping solutions, we believe Sprout will be the leader in HR digitization in the Philippines.”
“Sprout has demonstrated its ability to scale across companies of all sizes in the Philippines and is well-positioned to expand across Southeast Asia. As an Asian fintech venture capitalist, AFG is excited to partner with Sprout as it grows its end-to-end HR tech solutions,” said Ivan Ong, Partner at AFG.
Finally from Shota Sakurai, Philippines representative at Mynavi Corporation, “We are delighted to join Sprout, a fast-growing HR SaaS company in the Philippines. In the rapidly growing HR tech field, they have gained a lot of local support with their strengths in localization and scalability. As a leading HR company in Japan, Mynavi will provide our know-how and networks for their further expansion. “
For more information about Sprout Solutions, visit www.sprout.ph.
